All posts tagged Sig 239

Laser grips finally being accepted?

I remember when they first started showing up in law enforcement circles and then there were the debates about how cops were getting show because they were not using instinctive shooting skills and worry about trying to get the dot on target and ended up getting killed.  I can’t name a story to back that up, but with my experience in shooting and training on the firing line, I believe that it is true.  I jumped back into the laser grip world with my Smith & Wesson Model 637.   There is a place for laser sights, but it really seems to have caught on with smaller pocket guns than duty guns.

I think it’s not a debate that getting hits on target is more important than taking your time and trying to get the perfect hit.   In the real world one stop shots are not a reality.   Crimson trace laser grips are pricey, but i can’t complain about battery life.   I’ve put clost to 1000rds through my Smith & Wesson j-frame and I have not had to change a batter yet.  The real advantage I see with having a laser like this on a carry gun is to get a little bit more range out them and be able to use them in low light situations.

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Paddle holsters and breakage

 

I have a few customers that have sworn by Safariland holsters and claim that they don’t break like Blackhawk holsters do, but I haven’t seen it.   Gun talk and gun accessory discussions often quickly turn into soap operas and there’s a certain point I just turn it off because I know its just daytime drama.   Bad stuff can happen, defective products make it to the market, and sometimes people just don’t tell you the truth about what happened.   Kinda like the guys that blow their guns up and claim that there wasn’t anything wrong with the ammunition and then you find out they put a double charge of Bullseye pistol powder in an M1A rifle case.    Taking responsibility for actions and learning form them will help you find the right gear not acknowledging your part of the error doesn’t help the learning curve.

I have yet to ever retire a gun holster because it broke on me, but I’ve sold or retired a few because they either held too much body sweat or the belt clips didn’t perform 100% of the time.  I’ve been using The Wilderness Instructor belts for almost 10yrs and had gun holsters fail me.   Technically they didn’t break, but they failed.   I’ve been transitioning all of my Fobus paddle holsters to the closet box and replacing them with Blackhawk holsters because I’ve been very comfortable with the design and release of medium to large frame autos.   I will be looking to replace my J-frame 38 Special this summer with a .380 pistol and will be shopping a the NRA convention in Pittsburgh for one.

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Issues with carrying pocket CCW

I really hate to have to bring up some of these discussions because you don’t want to volunteer bad behavior stories to the anti-gun crowd, but I’m also not a fan of drunk drivers and people that talk on their cell phones while driving.  My first experience in witnessing stupid CCW holders was when I met a guy that got his first CCW gun and it was a desert eagle 44 magnum.    Do I really need to explain this one to you?   I don’t know any police departments that would allow a cop to carry something like that in a urban environment and I’d have to question the level of training someone had before they thought to deploy a gun in that caliber.   I think there would be more times that I would second guess taking a shot because I would be afraid the bullet was going to end up in the next city over.

When it comes to pocket carrying, there are now CCW pants that will help retain your firearm if you are laying down or need to lean back.   I’ve seen guns fall out of holsters and they can fall out of pockets.   I’ve lost pistol magazines because the mag holders didn’t work in horizontal positions.  Don Hume holsters have a front pocket holster that is added security and will help keep pocket lint out of many parts of a gun.   There is always a learning curve when it comes to CCW and you’ll find out real fast which clothing builds up lint faster.   Holsters can help keep a gun reliable and prevent you from having to strip the gun down all the time because it’s getting cluttered with things that should not  be in there.

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CCW vs Cop holsters

There is a reason that Cops want locking holster, statistics show that many police get shot by their own guns, and I’m sure there are unknown statistics on the number of times Cops have had guns fall out of holsters.   I recently read a review by an LAPD Officer that sheered an entire gun and holster off of his side while the paddle and belt kept part of it in place.   Anything that can happen will happen and probable already did happen.   I remember when Youtube first got popular there were several people bashing Fobus holsters on how easy it was to rip the guns off of people by tearing the holster.   Truth is, it can happen, but it doesn’t happen that often.   When it comes to CCW, most of the time you won’t be dealing with snagging firearms unless you go to retrieve them and they get caught on a shirt or a jacket.

Level I holsters are for, in my humble opinion, all about speed.    A nice IWB holster for concealed carry should keep the trigger protected and be as comfortable and easy to retrieve as the operator desires.  When it comes to level II Serpa holsters, I think this is a smart thing to consider for anyone in an open carry situation.   Yes the bad guy may know how to release  Blackhawk holsters, but your average bad guy probable doesn’t know how to clear a malfunction or do speed loads either.   If you are that concerned about the gun being taken from you, then don’t open carry.   I believe that the Serpa holster is the best way to carry a secondary firearm also.   The Blackhawk Level III holster is best left for law enforcement and people that are in high risk situations.

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Magazine pouches, fobus vs Blackhawk

I have had a lot of experience using nylon gun holsters and I really can’t say anything bad about them except for the thumb break stile holsters.   I’m not a big fan of holsters with straps on them and I presently only prefer the Blackhawk Serpa holsters for locking and firearm retention.   My Fobus holsters have always served me well and I believe I may own one holster for every medium and large frame auto in my collection.  Fobus makes a nice paddle holster, but I have had experience with the magazine holders and I am not a big fan.

I have quite a few nylon magazine holders and they are very good and keep the magazines where I want them, I do not like to use the nylon magazine holders for CCW and after a short stint at using the Fobus holsters magazine holders, I found out that there is a limit to how many paddle style holsters I can wear comfortable.   I do not recommend the fobus paddle magazine holders because you will feel it dig into you if you have to roll around.  The Blackhawk single and double stack magazines are the best because they actually have tension and mags won’t fly out easy and they aren’t covered like a nylon magazine holder is.

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Paddle holsters and CCW

This is an area that can cause much debate in the CCW world because if you are concealing a firearm in a paddle holster you are almost always going to have to wear a vest or a long coat, not all environments can tolerate a jacket, and most jackets are either not going to be long enough or they will make you sweat, just in for concealing a firearm in this manor.  I really like the Blackhawk Serpa holsters, but they do extend a little further out on the body that something like a Don Hume Jit holster which is flat up against a belt.

Firearm retention in a holster is important for LEO and people carrying open carry, but not so much for CCW.  Yes you may get in a scuffle and have a firearm fly out of a  holster, but the Blackhawk holsters make get a little difficult to release if you are not in a good position, there are always methods and tactics that people should train with and trying a  holster out in an adverse position is something  you should try doing.  Try pulling the firearm laying on  your side, or in the seated position and you’ll know what I mean.   If you are sitting down, you’ll realize how odd it will feel and how high you’ll have to left your shoulder to clear it.

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Don’t expect a do it all gadget on your firearms

I saw a recent night fighting test where they basically showed how night sights become useless as soon as a flashlight gets turned on and the glowing dots won’t help you in low light conditions depending on your flashlight gun techniques.   The whole flashlight thing on handguns is a debate in itself because there are so many things to consider.   There are flashlight retention devices like the Section 8 Tactical ultimate retention device that have helped improve grip and freeing up your hand to open doors or do magazine changes, but it is true that it’s not as steady as a flashlight mounted on the firearm.

Night sights are nice, but who would get into a shoot out in their home without turning on a light or using a flashlight?   One thing to consider are Crimson Trace Laser grips for home defense because not only can you tell depth of a target in low light you can also get better cover and still know where your gun is pointed.   There are some really good defensive training DVD’s coming out an Massad Ayoob will be going over using laser grips in home situations.   I highly recommend using lasers on home firearms as well as flashlights, I think those are far more practical and advantageous than using night sights.

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Galco holsters, I thought I had the wrong holster

I’ve been on a holster binge lately and I’ve been  picking up whatever I can for the revolving CCW guns that I carry.   I have been trying to modernize my rotation with a few Springfield XD variants an a Glock 19 and a Glock 26.   I went back to leather holsters after shying away from them for a few years.  I had a bad experience with an Alessi Talon holster that was holding so much sweat that it ruined a Tauras T-85 38 special.   I skipped a monthly cleaning and found out the holster actually had a gew in it and the barrel was pitted.

I think the best CCW is really the IWB but I know not all body types handle it very well, last night I got an order in the mail and decided to try out the Galco holsters that were IWB.    The Galco Tuck-N-Go holster looked like a good thing for me to test out, but I actually thought I had the wrong holster after having so much trouble getting the gun into it.   The slide was actually racking when I put the holster in so I had to stop, after doing some research online, I’m over reacting a little bit and going to see if I can break it in a little more.  I’m not too happy with the fact I can’t really re holster the gun properly because it seems to cave in on itself.   I’ll give it test in a few days.

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Security and snagging while carrying a Carbine

Finding the right type of gun for you is a very important thing, your boss many tell you want caliber they want to stick to, but there are still so many options in which type of firearm you feel comfortable shooting.   Finding the ammunition that works in your firearm won’t be much of a problem from the majority of Glock and Sig Sauer pistols that so many Government agencies use, but when it comes to choosing holsters and gear.   That is something that you are going to have to figure out on your own.   I have seen many of my customers call up a few weeks after receiving their pants only to be informed that they need another pair because they ripped.    They didn’t rip because of product defects, they ripped because tactical pants have so many pockets that they easily snag and get torn.

Last month I sat in a Carbine course where the first day of shooting showed a lot of novice accessorizing and watching guys constantly move slings around trying to find that spot where they could take it off and on without catching on their secondary pistol was interesting.   Blackhawk holsters ruled the range that day, but I did see paddle holsters, leg holsters and belt through.   I am always a fan of quick detach gear because bad things can  happen in combat and releasing your holster, vest or Carbine could mean saving your life.

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New Crimes and home invasions

There has been a recent out burst of home invasions close to where I live.   Home invasions have always been something that occurs, but recently there has  been a new twist in the way it is being done.   Several older folks were the targets of invasions because they were easy targets.  Now a recent rash of daylight invasions where the  bad guys broke into the house while people were in it, ran up to the master bedrooms grabbed jewelry and valuables quickly and ran right out the same door they came in.   Most of the incidences occurred within less than 1 minute.   You might be in  your basement and hear a break in and by the time you call the police and come up stairs the person is already tossing something out a window to his counterpart or already out the door.

 

Crime is something that is always evolving, you will find the dunce novice criminal, but there are people that are good at what they do.   Smash and grabs have also become more common because criminal just want the fast easy money and don’t want a confrontation.   Think about making sure your Gunvault gun safes are properly mounted and out of sight even if it’s hidden in the obvious places.  Even bolting down a computer or monitor is something that can slow a bad guy down and help give the Cops a chance to catch them.

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